Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!emory!gatech!psuvax1!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: johnw@stew.ssl.berkeley.edu (John Warren) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Tithing Message-ID: Date: 9 Apr 91 07:14:09 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Space Science Labs Lines: 62 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article murphy@mips.com (Mike Murphy) writes: >1) Do you think all Christians should tithe 10%, or is that an >Old Testament concept now superceded by Christ? Well, just as faith came before the Law, so did tithing. Both Abram (Gen. 14, to Melchizedek) and Jacob (Gen. something) tithed. Jesus rebuked the pharisees because their legalistic tithing practices (which even dealt with specific spices) got in the way of their charity; however, in the same sentence, he affirmed their tithing practice. There is hardly any mention of tithing in the New Testament, not because it was superseded, but because mention of it was unnecessary. The Christians were giving **all** they had. No I don't think Christians should tithe 10%. Should actually be 19%, if you want to follow the prescription in Leviticus. "But we're not under law." Right. Malachi 3:10 puts it in the realm of the Promises of God. This promise ("deliver all the tithes into the storehouse, so that there may be meat in my house, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven, so that you won't have room to contain it.") was uttered to people who knew that there were actually three tithes that God talked about. The first tithe is: 1/10th of all your property (i.e., sheep, cattle, companies, anything that can make you money) is actually God's property. In other words, he gets all the earnings from that 1/10th. The second and third tithes aren't actually complete tithes: they add up to 1/10th of what's left after God takes the original 1/10th. So here's the math: God gets (0.10 x 1.00) + (0.10 x 0.90) = 0.19 or 19% of what you earn. >2) Some Christians use the Malachi 3:10 verse to say that >our full tithe should go to our "storehouse", the local church. >Do you think it is okay to split a tithe between your church >and other Christian organizations? What do you mean, "use the Mal. 3:10 verse. . ."? I don't like the rhetoric here. The verse says that the full tithe goes to the storehouse, and it means what it says. The storehouse is the place, organization, person, where you get your spiritual food. If you want to give to other Christian organizations, go ahead, but don't rob God by taking it out of the tithes. Do it with what you have left over. >3) Do you think Christian businesses should tithe as individuals do? >What about churches and charities tithing part of their income? Yes on all counts, but now we're getting into stickier territory. The singing group I'm in is currently dealing with the issue of tithing and things aren't so cut-and-dried, because other people want to do other things with the (very small amount of) money we make than tithing, and I can't force anything. I don't want to. But I do think the promise of malachi 3:10 applies to collective groups of people. The whole issue of tithing is: do you trust God where it counts, your wallet? If you can consistently give the 19% (not to mention other offerings like the firstfruits, etc.) even while you are asking yourself, "How am I going to make ends meet?" that is a big demonstration of your trust in the Lord. And he is only pleased by trust/faith. John Warren ". . .they'll stone you when you're riding in your car." Dylan